2022 Singapore GP Preview and Tips

The F1 roadshow has left Europe after the Italian GP and this weekend we are in Asia. The 2022 Singapore GP is one of the most eagerly anticipated races of the season and James Punt has a preview. See who he is backing ante-post below.

2022 Singapore GP Preview

F1 returns to the streets of Singapore for the first time since 2019. The floodlit night race has become a fan favourite, giving us the kind of spectacle Monaco can only dream of.

The circuit is a very physical one with 23 corners on a bumpy track surface and held in very high humidity. It is a tough test of driver and car. The attrition rate in the turbo hybrid era has been high at an average of four retirements per race.

Most of the corners are 90 degrees and the circuit is very much a point and squirt layout, putting a premium on braking and traction. Slow speed mechanical grip will be very much to the fore rather than just the usual aerodynamic downforce. Overtaking is hard but not in the same way as Monaco as the track is much wider and a brave late braker can make progress.

Red Bull Strong

Who will the track suit? Red Bull are strong everywhere, and Verstappen is the 1.57 favourite to extend his 116 point lead in the Championship. Ferrari have performed well on the street circuits this season. Leclerc was the fastest qualifier in Melbourne, Monaco and Baku but only converted one into a race win, and that was in Australia at a time Red Bull were struggling a bit. Since then, Red Bull have dominated, winning eleven of the thirteen races.

It has the look of another race were Ferrari flatters to deceive by getting pole position but losing the race.  If you are thinking of backing Verstappen, it may well be better to wait until after qualifying as his odds should lengthen should Ferrari show well in qualifying

Keep Perez Onside

Others to keep onside are Sergio Perez who has outqualified Verstappen on two of the three street circuits to date. His race form on the streets is 2/1/2, the best form on street circuits in 2022. However, there must be concerns as to his more recent performances which have seem him fall well short of Verstappen, much more so than earlier in the season.

Red Bull have improved their car but in a way that does not suit Perez’ strengths. He prefers a car with a stable rear end and a bit of understeer. Verstappen thrives in a car which rotates more around the nose, with a loose rear and more oversteer. That is the fastest set up for the car and the logical way to go, but it has not helped Perez. On a track with so many corners, he needs to be comfortable in them and he may not be the same street racer as he was earlier in the season.

Norris Could Go Well

Lando Norris qualified 4th in Melbourne and 5th in Monaco but struggled on the high speed Baku circuit which did not suit the draggy McLaren. He scored points in all three street races and two top 6s on the slower ones. This is a circuit which may suit him/McLaren better than most.

Ricciardo used to be very good here, so he can’t be so easily dismissed as at most tracks, but how he goes with his confidence in tatters is questionable. He has only scored points in four races so far, which is shocking, but half of those came on street circuits, so that offers him some encouragement.

Sebastian Vettel made Q3 in Monaco and Baku, but his teammate struggled on the three street circuits, so it is the driver making the difference at Aston Martin. George Russell has picked up two podiums on the streets and beaten Hamilton in all three. There are some at Mercedes who expect this track to be well suited to their car, but others point out that it is a bumpy track and those types of tracks have not helped Mercedes so far.

They are always in the hunt for a podium and that should be the case once more, but Ferrari will be stronger this weekend and the Red Bull, at least in Verstappen’s hands, is likely to be too fast once again.

Surprise Pole

Russell got a surprise pole position in Hungary, another slower, high downforce track with little in the way of fast corners and this lay out mirrors that. The bumpy track will mean having to raise the ride height more than at the Hungaroring and that may well be the difference. As it was, in the race, it was Verstappen who won from 10th place on the grid. Mercedes did finish 2nd and 3rd and set the fastest lap. That can be seen as success for Mercedes this season.

In terms of track form in the turbo Hybrid era, Hamilton has three wins and Sebastian Vettel two. Daniel Ricciardo is a three time runner up in Singapore and his late braking style is well suited to the track. This was never a Mercedes fortress, but they did learn how to win here. Verstappen has yet to win in Singapore, but we haven’t raced here for three years, and the Red Bull is now the best car.

With all the grid penalty madness we had in Italy last time out, this race should be much more straight forward in that respect, so ante post betting carries less risk.

Weather Watch

The weather is always of interest here. We have largely avoided any wet running as the rain tends to fall in the heat of the afternoon and the track quickly dries in the hot conditions during the day, but at night, wet patches can linger, as we saw in 2017. The high humidity makes this a tough race for the drivers who will lose about 3kg in weight during the race.

The early weather forecast was for light showers around the start of the race (8pm local time) with heavier rain coming later. A couple of days later, that has changed to morning showers with isolated thunderstorms in the evening. Qualifying should be hot and dry.

We did have one largely wet/damp race, back in 2017, and there were concerns about visibility with spray under the floodlights, but in the end it was fine. That was a race that saw no less than 8 retirements including a first lap pile up which saw both Ferraris and Verstappen eliminated after few hundred yards.

Alonso was forced to retire after picking up first lap damage and we lost two more drivers to accidents later in the race. Clearly a wet race this weekend could see more chaos, but it is often the case that the rain falls outside of track time.

Ante Post Selections

While Max Verstappen and Red Bull have dominated the recent races, winning from wherever he ends up on the grid, in qualifying things are more competitive. Charles Leclerc has been the fastest qualifier eight times. Granted, six were in first half of the season and just two in the last eight.

In the same time, Verstappen has four and Russell and Sainz one each. Back on a street circuit, we should see a more competitive Ferrari. It has been a good track for them in the past. Leclerc was on pole in 2019, Vettel in 2017 and 2015. This year’s Ferrari has been good at riding the kerbs and you want that on a street track with a lot of 90 degree corners. There are some doubts as to whether this will still be the case after summers technical directive, but hopefully they will be competitive over 1 lap again.

2022 Singapore GP Tip: 2 points Charles Leclerc to be the fastest qualifier @ 3.25 with Betvictor

The race winner market initially had me excited about Perez’ odds of 21.00. Given his street circuit form this season, it looked a great e/w bet, but then I considered his form in the later part of the season, and that put a damper on my enthusiasm.

This is a race were waiting until Sunday before placing a bet is the best idea. If Ferrari get pole than Verstappen’s odds will improve, and we will have a better idea of any threat from bad weather.

Best Of The Rest

Looking at the always interesting battle to be best of the rest, McLaren should be a better bet this weekend. A slower track with little in the way of high speed corners suited them earlier in the season and while Norris has only raced here once, he finished seventh. He is likely to need one of the drivers from the big three to have a problem, but on a high attrition track it is quite possible.

He has had a remarkable run of five 7th places from the last six races and a return to car a more favourable street circuit could put him one place hight come Sunday. Norris is a 2.25 shot to finish in the top 6, but I will risk being greedy and go for a rare double points finish for McLaren. Ricciardo is the weak link, but this is a favourite track of his and half of his points finishes in 2022 have come on street circuits.

2022 Singapore GP Tip: 1 point double points finish for McLaren @ 3.00 with Boylesports

A double retirement for the Aston Martins in Italy ended a good run of seven points finishes from eight races. They were rubbish on the low downforce, high speed Monza circuit but a return to a street circuit should suit Vettel more. He has gone well here in the past and while the car is no more than average, they have been making reasonable progress since they adopted the Red Bull style design.

2022 Singapore GP Tip: 1 point Sebastian Vettel to finish in the top 10 @ 2.50 with Betvictor, Bet365

Backing George Russell to beat Lewis Hamilton is tempting. His street race form has been better, overall in 2022 he is 11-5 up on Hamilton and he has beaten him in the last three races. However, in the second half of the season it is 5-3 to Hamilton. Russell is 2.25 to beat his teammate and given the form of the last eight races, the odds are probably fair enough.

JamesPunt